“You said she was here asking help for a spell?” Delia turned back to me.
“Yes, she asked me to help her create a Finding spell. Her sister has gone missing and their family is worried sick. When she got here, she explained that her sister had moved to New York. Two weeks ago, all communications suddenly stopped. They contacted the police there, but there’s no clue of where Lavender—Rose’s sister—went. The Williamses filed a missing person’s report but there are so many missing people in the city that the cops don’t have time to hunt down every adult who vanishes.”
“Why did she ask you to create the spell? Why didn’t she do it?”
“Because I’m good at it and Rose knew that. She and her family are too emotionally invested in the situation. While she was here, I created a Finding spell specifically aimed at finding Lavender. Rose was taking it home so that she and her parents could cast it. Their lineage is kitchen witchery—they don’t do hardcore magic.” I stopped. “Wait, did she have the spell with her? She should have had a paper with the instructions all written out, and a small bag of spell components on her. I gave her everything she’d need.”
“Let me talk to Jif.” Delia headed out back where the forensics team seemed to be wrapping up things.
Sandy leaned across the table. “She’s right. I can feel it, Maddy. Whoever killed Rose thought she was you. Mark my words, somebody’s out to get you.”
I didn’t want to agree, but it was looking like that might be the case.
Delia returned, rubbing her hands together. “Colder out there than a witch’s tit. No offense intended,” she added, grinning. “Well, they found her purse, her wallet, the note, and spell components. All her identification was there. In fact, it looks like robbery wasn’t the motive, because her credit cards and cash were still in her purse.”
“The spell wouldn’t be worth stealing. It was geared toward someone in particular. And if somebody really needed a Finding spell and couldn’t afford it, I’d work one up for them anyway. Everybody knows that—at least everybody who has had any contact with our coven. It’s not like I’m a total stranger to Bedlam.” I didn’t like the direction this was taking.
Delia made a few more notes, then asked, “How about you? Anything you want to tell me about Ralph Greyhoof?”
Startled, I blinked. “What? I don’t think he had anything to do with this. I mean, yes, he was here Saturday and yes, I did find him in my bathroom while I was taking a shower, but…” Then, I realized she was talking about the incident at the Calou Bakery, where Derek Lindsey had broken up our fight.
“You mean that wasn’t the first time you and Ralph got into it? Tell me everything that happened.” By the tone of her voice, I knew she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
I let out a long sigh. “Ralph showed up in my bathroom Saturday morning. I caught him trying to steal hair out of my hairbrush and put the fear of the gods in him.”
Delia’s gaze flickered. “Even I know what that means and I don’t work with magic. So, what happened?”
“We got into an argument. I accused him of trying to throw a hex on the B&B and he said that he had been paid to steal my hair by a woman that he thought was a vampire.” I realized that I had better tell her the whole story. I told her about the woman and showed her the anonymous text of the painting with her picture in it. Dreading that this might drag Aegis into the mess, I tried to skim over the fact that he was in the painting, but Delia noticed.
“How much do you know about your boyfriend?”
“As much as I need to right now.” I prickled. I didn’t like the direction the conversation was suddenly going.
“Hold on.” She moved away, pulling out her cell phone. When she returned, she said, “I put out an APB on Ralph Greyhoof and called in for a warrant to search his house and the inn. If he’s really that angry about you opening up a bed and breakfast, then there’s no telling what he might do.”
“Ralph isn’t the kind to hurt somebody else. Trust me, I know.” I didn’t want yet another reason for the Greyhoof family to hate me. And as mean as Ralph could be, he wasn’t a murderer.
“You let me be the judge of that.” She stopped as her phone rang. “Hold on.”
While she was over by the stove, talking, I leaned toward Sandy. “We can’t let this get out of hand. Even if somebody is targeting me, that’s no reason to assume it’s Ralph. Hell, he’s a perv, and he’s shady as hell in some ways, but I don’t think he’s a murderer. He wouldn’t kill me over the fact that I’m running a B&B, would he?”
Sandy pressed her lips together, then shrugged. “You know satyrs. They get wound up and go off all half-cocked. They’re so full of hormones that it’s hard to predict what they’re going to do. I wouldn’t put much past them. Hell, I gather that Ralph and his brother George had a big to-do over a woman a couple years back and Ralph put George in the hospital. Rammed him with those damned horns of his. Of course, George didn’t press charges, and they left the hospital arm in arm, but if he’s capable of that, who knows what he might do if he really believes you’re out to ruin his business.”
Delia returned. “They just picked up Ralph. I’ve sent someone to search his house. I’m going in to have a little talk with him now, so you need to keep quiet about this for the time being.” She finished her tea in one gulp, then snagged a couple of the cookies, biting into one. “Until we figure this out, you should be cautious,” she said, wiping crumbs off her mouth. “If somebody is out to kill you and it’s not Ralph, then whoever it is, they’re still out there. For now, watch your step, Maudlin. I’ll talk to Rose’s parents after I speak with Ralph. I’ll be in touch.”
As she left, I noticed that Rose’s body was gone from out back but team members were still combing through the yard, looking for evidence. I poured another cup of tea and sat back, wondering what the hell to do next.
“It seems to me that we have two separate issues here. Three, rather. First: why did Ralph try to steal your hair and did he really do so at the behest of the blonde in the painting? Second: who is the woman in the painting and why is Aegis with her? Third: who killed Rose?” Sandy used a napkin to wipe up a few drops of spilled tea.
“More than three. If the person who killed Rose was actually aiming for me, why do they want me dead?” Obviously, this question was top in my mind. I had been threatened before, but for the past couple hundred years, nobody had tried to act on it. I’d been on the run from witch hunters at one time. They would have first tortured, then killed me if they had managed to catch me. But the witch hunters were long dead for the most part, and it wasn’t legal to kill witches anymore. At least, not in the US, and not in the UK.
“Is there any way you’ve met this blonde and just don’t remember?” Sandy brought up the picture on my phone. “Doesn’t she ring any bells?”
I slowly shook my head. “No. I honestly don’t have a clue who she is.”
“Well, if you want my opinion, you should put a stronger lock on the door, get rid of the vampire, and find some strapping bodyguard to watch over you.” Franny appeared in the middle of the table, making me jump.
“Crap!” Sandy almost tipped over her chair.
Franny laughed. “Scared of little old me?” But then she stopped, staring over Sandy’s shoulder at the picture. “I haven’t seen her in a while.”
“You know who that woman is?” I stared at Franny.
“Not really, but I’ve seen her. She came to visit a couple times before you moved in. She’s Aegis’s ex-girlfriend, Rachel.”
And with that, she moved out from the table into the center of the room.
Chapter 5